


You Want To Make A Memory

by etmuse



Series: Tasha 'verse [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-16
Updated: 2010-08-16
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:05:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etmuse/pseuds/etmuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Ianto want to have a baby, but that might be tougher than it appears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Want To Make A Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks go to morbid_sparks for encouraging me to actually write this plot bunny, and for beta'ing the finished fic

It was negative. Again.

Jack blew out a disappointed breath and threw the test into the bin. Twenty-one months of trying – and _how_ they were trying – and still nothing.

Ianto's hands dropped onto his shoulders and turned him around, pulling him into the younger man's embrace.

"It's okay," Ianto murmured in his ear. "So we keep trying. Maybe next time we'll have better luck." The words should be comforting, but Jack had heard them before, and the strain was starting to tell in Ianto's voice whenever he had to say them.

"Yeah…" Jack was beginning to sound defeated. "Maybe."

* * *

Ianto rolled onto his back, mechanically handing Jack a tissue to clean up. Taking another for himself, he sighed. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

On the face of it, sex multiple times daily sounded like a _fantastic_ idea, but that was the problem really. The more time that went on without Jack getting pregnant, the more desperate they got, and the more it started to feel like just that – sex.

Even right back at the beginning, when Ianto would have sworn that what they shared was purely sexual, it had been more than this. This had turned something they both took great pleasure in into a chore, almost something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

But he didn't say anything – wouldn't, couldn't – to Jack. Not when he wanted this so badly.

Jack cleaned up methodically, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

He wanted to be pregnant, more than anything – a fact that he would have shocked himself with just a few short years ago – but they couldn't go on like this.

He was tired of them forcing themselves into sex even when they weren't in the mood. He was tired of the schedule. Hell, he was tired of always bottoming.

They used to have a wonderful, imaginative, adventurous sex life, but in the last months it had dissipated, leaving behind only, well, sex.

And not even good sex.

But he didn't say anything – wouldn't, couldn't – to Ianto. Not when he wanted this so badly.

* * *

Jack stared at the test in his hand, _willing_ it to show a different result than every other test he'd taken in the last two years had.

He risked a glance at Ianto, who was staring tensely at the floor, one fist clenched in his lap, the other hand holding the stopwatch loosely.

"How long?" he asked huskily, just for something to say.

Ianto's eyes flicked over to the stopwatch face. "Thirty seconds."

Jack nodded, although it hadn't really been information. They had done this so many times now that he could time three minutes in his head, accurate to the second.

Exactly thirty seconds later, he looked again at the window.

Damn.

Ianto didn't even need to ask, the look on Jack's face enough to tell him that, once again, they'd been unsuccessful.

Both had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, this time would be different. It was a special date after all. Two years to the day since they had that fateful discussion and had decided to try and get pregnant.

They'd been so giddy that night, so deliriously happy in each other and the possibility of their future child.

But two years later, both were beginning to wonder if all of their plans had simply been pipe dreams.

Discarding the test, Jack pulled Ianto to his feet, and they walked silently back into their bedroom. The air was thick with unspoken words as they sat on the end of the bed, neither one looking at the other.

"I've been thinking," Ianto finally said, still not looking up. "Maybe I should, I don't know, get tested or something."

"What?" Jack's head snapped up, twisting to look at Ianto.

Ianto didn't meet his gaze immediately, studying the carpet beneath his toes as he started to speak again. "I mean, I should get fertility tested. Because we clearly have a problem here, and it has to be me."

His head finally rose to let him look at Jack. "You've been pregnant before, so it can't be you." Jack had told him the story several years previously, shortly after they first became serious, when Ianto had suggested for the first time that they stopped using condoms.

Ianto still felt vaguely proud of himself that he had retained consciousness and avoided a panic attack at the sudden discovery that his very male lover could, in theory, carry their child. At the time it had been just that – theoretical.

After that discussion, and the easy decision that they would continue with the condoms where they were required as birth control, the subject had been put to bed. Neither of them had brought it up again until that night two years ago, when, things having finally settled down after the formalisation of their relationship, they began to wonder about expanding their newly formed family of two.

Truthfully, as Ianto had admitted that night, the issue had never completely left his mind. The idea of children, one day, had been something he'd thought about with Lisa; something he'd initially thought he would be giving up when he made the decision to really be with Jack. Knowing that the option was still there, it was always a vague notion in the back of his mind.

Jack felt a very vague twinge at the talk of his previous pregnancy, but he was long past the point where he couldn't talk about it. "You know that I never carried to term though, it really could be…"

Ianto silenced him with a finger over his lips. "That _wasn't_ your fault, and it really doesn't have any bearing here. I looked it up, and at least in 21st century women, there's no link at all between a past termination and problems conceiving."

Ianto knew there was a part of Jack that still blamed himself for the loss of his unborn child, even though he'd been given no choice in the matter. When he'd found himself pregnant as a nineteen year old junior agent, the Time Agency had been unbending in their orders. Get rid of it.

While Jack had been terrified of continuing the pregnancy without a partner to help, he'd never considered ending it. But he hadn't been given the choice, and within a month, he'd been forced back to work.

Jack wrapped his fingers around Ianto's wrist, pulling his hand away. "Even so, we don't know for sure if that's the same for me. And that was a long, long time ago. A lot has happened to me since I was last pregnant… who knows what that could have done to me."

"There's one big difference though," Ianto interrupted. "I can actually _get_ tested, here and now. And if something's wrong…"

His tone was that of a man who had already convinced himself that there was a problem. "If something's wrong, then at least we know about it, and we can… well, I don't know really. We can discuss all of our other options again, see if any of them appeal more when we know this option is a no-go."

Jack sighed. He didn't like it, but Ianto had a point. They'd been trying for what was considered rather a long time, and it would perhaps be best to know now if there was a reason they hadn't had any success, before they spent any longer getting nowhere.

He nodded.

* * *

Ianto bit his lip nervously as he walked into the bright, cheerful foyer of the fertility clinic. Jack had wanted to accompany him, but Ianto had pointed out the impossibility of that, considering what he was there to be tested for. They couldn't exactly explain the situation to a doctor here.

Now that he was actually here, though, he rather wished he'd let Jack come with him anyway.

Blowing out a determined breath, he strode over to the reception desk, giving the young girl who sat behind it his name.

"Doctor Evans will be with you in just a minute, Mr Jones, if you'd like to just take a seat." She waved in the direction of a small waiting area to one side of the foyer.

Ianto sat down, clasping his hands together and staring at the floor to avoid meeting the gaze of any of the area's other occupants. They were mostly in couples, he noted absently, wishing again that he wasn't there alone.

A few minutes later, a nurse appeared from a hallway and called his name, leading him to a large office with the name 'Dr Evans' emblazoned on the door.

It was painted in warm, friendly colours, the doctor didn't sit behind a huge imposing desk, and the seats were soft and comfortable, but Ianto felt anything but comfortable being there.

He knew he couldn't be entirely honest with Dr Evans, and although he had plenty of practice skirting around the truth in his professional life at Torchwood, he hated having to do the same with something so intensely personal.

He answered the doctor's questions as truthfully as it was safe to do, making careful use of the phrase 'my partner' whenever a question about his 'wife' was posed. After fifteen minutes of questions that were, frankly, becoming rather more invasive than he was prepared for, he was almost ready to give up. Almost ready to stand and walk out, or scream for the questions to just, please, _stop_.

Thinking of the heartache they'd had over the last two years, and remembering that he was the one who had suggested this, he forced himself through it.

While it was nice to know that, at least based on his answers to the questions, they hadn't been doing anything that would unnecessarily impede their chances of conception, Ianto was relieved when Dr Evans closed his folder and pressed a button on his desk to call the nurse.

He just wanted to get this over and done with, so they had their answers and could start dealing with whatever they said. The same nurse from before reappeared at the door.

Ianto shook the doctor's hand and followed the nurse out, letting her lead him down a long corridor lined with numbered rooms.

She came to a stop outside number 11.

"You should find everything you need inside. Just press the buzzer next to the hatch when you're ready." She opened the door to reveal a small brightly lit room, furnished with a crisp-sheeted bed, a small table, a television, and a rack of magazines. A small hand-basin took up one corner.

The door closed discretely behind him as he walked over to inspect the small pile on the table-top. There were copies of all the informational leaflets he'd already read, a 'menu' of what was available on the TV, a large box of tissues, and the expected plastic specimen cup, hermetically sealed in a sterile package.

He picked up the last of these, perching on the side of the bed as he examined the small receptacle through the clear plastic packaging.

He wiped a sweaty palm on the leg of his jeans, placing the cup back on the table and closing his eyes.

_'You can do this'_ he told himself. _'You're **going** to do this.' _

He picked up the cup again and tore it out of its plastic wrapping before setting it back down on the table.

Settling back onto the bed, he closed his eyes again, letting his hand drift down to his denim-covered crotch. Consciously slowing his breathing, and trying to relax, he brought up several images from his store of cherished memories.

_Jack, spread out under him, head thrown back in pleasure…_

Jack's weight pressing him into the mattress…

Jack inside him…

The sounds Jack made in the throes of passion…

The look on Jack's face when he went over the edge…

Several minutes later, allowing his hand to slide off onto the mattress beside him, he sighed in frustration. No matter what fantasy he thought up, what memory he brought out, it just wasn't working. Images that would normally have him hard in seconds were doing nothing, having no effect. His body just wasn't interested, and if he was honest, he couldn't even get his brain into it.

He knew it wasn't the act itself that was the problem – he'd been taking care of himself with plenty success since he was twelve, and wasn't a stranger to it even now, either alone or giving Jack a show.

But being here, in this clinical setting, and having it _expected_ of him, was just too much. There were people waiting behind the hatch for him to press a buzzer and announce that he was done; a group of complete strangers who knew exactly what he was doing – or rather, what he was _supposed_ to be doing.

No matter how much he tried to block it out, draw himself into a fantasy world, he couldn't.

He glared at the empty plastic cup sitting on the table. Its very existence was like a talisman of his failure to do this, his inability to do the one thing they had at their disposal to possibly explain the problems they'd been having.

Swinging his legs around to the side of the bed, he sat up.

This wasn't going to happen, and there was no point hanging around. Taking one last look around, he went over to the wall hatch and pressed the buzzer.

A minute later, the hatch slid open and a young laboratory technician appeared.

"Ready?"

"I'm sorry." Ianto shook his head. "I just can't do this. It doesn't feel right."

The technician nodded sympathetically. "It actually happens more than you might think, so don't feel bad. Some people just can't get fully comfortable with the situation."

If it was possible, the technician's understanding words made Ianto feel even more awkward.

Pasting a fake smile on his face – and noting absently that it was the same one he used when trying to appear unassuming when undercover – he nodded at the man and turned for the door.

As he made his way back along the corridors and out of the clinic, there was only one thought going through his mind.

_'How am I going to tell Jack?'_

* * *

He was still worrying about the question as he left himself into the small house, ten minutes from the Hub, that he had shared with Jack for the last three years.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Jack's head popped out of the living room door.

Something must have shown on his face, because barely a moment later, Jack was gathering him into his arms.

"Didn't go well?" he murmured softly in Ianto's ear.

Ianto sighed, savouring Jack's embrace for a few seconds longer before pulling back a little so he could look him in the eye.

"I couldn't go through with it," he admitted, watching Jack's reaction carefully.

To his surprise, Jack didn't seem all that shocked, or even upset. His gaze remained steady and loving, inviting Ianto to air his issues.

"It was just too awkward. Even the discussion with the doctor was uncomfortable, and the actual… sample giving? It felt… wrong, somehow. I _know_ it's for a good cause, but I just… couldn't. And… aren't you upset?"

Jack shook his head gently, bringing a hand up to cup Ianto's face. "A tiny bit maybe, but not really. I was actually rather expecting it. I know you, Ianto, and putting yourself in that situation… It was way out of your comfort zone, further even than we've gone together."

Ianto nodded slightly, leaning into Jack's hand before clasping it in his own and leading them through to their living room where they settled on the sofa, the TV still playing silently where Jack had muted it on Ianto's arrival.

"So, what do we do now, then?" Ianto hit the remote to kill the TV as he spoke.

Jack jumped up and rounded the sofa, grabbing a few papers from a table against the wall. He handed them to Ianto over the back of the sofa before making his way back to retake his seat against Ianto's side. "I actually did a bit of research while you were gone."

Ianto glanced down at the computer printouts and then at Jack. It appeared that Jack had known him, and his reactions, better than he did himself.

"Home test kits?"

"Yeah, I found a few places selling them while I was looking for alternatives to the normal testing at a clinic. None of them say exactly how they work, but they all claim to be pretty accurate."

Ianto read a little further down the top page. "They still recommend going to a clinic for further testing if the home test indicates there's something wrong," he intoned gloomily.

"Hey," Jack admonished, tugging Ianto into a cuddle, "don't go thinking like that. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it, okay?"

Ianto nodded, but it was obvious that he was still expecting the worst.

* * *

It was another week and a half before the testing kit they'd eventually ordered arrived. The parcel was waiting for them when they made it home after a long day at the Hub, and they both knew immediately what it contained.

It was twenty-four hours later before Ianto brought himself to actually open it.

He scoffed at himself when he'd removed all the packaging and had the box in his hands. He and Jack had read over all the material available on the test online, had compared the accuracy and testing methods of all the different tests available before making a decision – why had he been so scared to open it?

Opening the box, he spread the contents over the coffee table. Jack came to join him on the sofa as he picked each one up in turn, mentally marking them off against the 'contents of this box' list at the top of the instructions.

"You know," he commented to Jack, picking up the collection cup and waving it, "I'm strangely relieved that this isn't made of clear plastic."

Jack just smiled reassuringly and tightened his arm around Ianto's waist.

Together, even though they'd read the basic instructions on the manufacturer's website, they pored over the instruction leaflet.

"So, as far as I can tell, tomorrow night, I just need to 'deposit a sample' in the cup, wait half an hour, press that button, and then wait for the results," Ianto stated a while later, looking up from the leaflet. "I think I can do that."

"Why tomorrow night?"

Ianto pointed to one of the paragraphs near the bottom of the page. "It says I have to wait 48 hours since my 'last ejaculation'. So that means tomorrow night. Or the next night, I suppose, but now that we're down to it, I want to know."

He pointed out the end of the paragraph. "And I can't wait too long anyway, as apparently if I haven't come in over a week that's bad too."

He shrugged. "I'm not quite sure _why_, but I'm assuming these people are the experts, so who am I to argue?"

Jack grinned and tucked Ianto's head under his chin. "Tomorrow it is."

* * *

Jack and Ianto perched nervously on the edge of the sofa, staring at the test, which was once again on the coffee table; watching the little window, waiting for the results to appear.

It had been just over an hour since Ianto had – with a little helping hand from Jack – produced the required sample, and he was getting a little antsy as the time passed. Even though they knew it could easily be another fifteen to twenty minutes before the indicative red lines appeared, they couldn't make themselves go and do anything else while they waited.

So they watched. And waited. And watched.

Ten minutes later, a hint of red started to appear, and Ianto gripped Jack's hand tight as it became clearer.

Within a minute, the result was clear. Two red lines were plainly visible in the window. A positive result.

Ianto blew out a breath. "I was so sure it was me…"

Jack's fingers were still gripped tight around Ianto's. "Guess not, huh?" His eyes were downcast. "Must be me."

Ianto twisted around and used his other hand to tilt Jack's head so he met his eyes. "You don't know that. _We_ don't know that. Just because my sperm motility is apparently at acceptable levels doesn't mean it couldn't still be my problem. And you know what we've read. It might not be _either_ of us. We could just be one of those couples that are unlucky."

Jack's frustration was evident on his face. "Ianto, be realistic here. You're almost certainly fine, so there's a pretty high chance the problem is with me. Hell, we shouldn't be surprised. Look at what I've put my body through since the last time. If that isn't enough to cause fertility problems then…"

Ianto cupped Jack's face and cut off his self-depreciating rant with a soft kiss. "Just stop. Even if you do have a problem, it's _not your fault_."

Jack sagged. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

Ianto nodded. "I know, cariad, I know."

"We don't even have any way of finding out if it _is_ me. We can't very well walk into a gynaecologist's office and ask to have me tested. We'd be laughed out of the place before you could say 'retcon'."

Ianto sat back as an idea struck him. "What if there _was_ a way we could get you tested?"

"Ianto, what are you talking about? I just said…"

"But what if we could?" Ianto insisted.

Jack was confused. "Well, yes, of course, but… we can't."

"But that's the thing," Ianto said. "We _could_. If we took a trip to the future, we could."

Jack just looked at him, wondering why that had never occurred to them before.

* * *

Jack's finger hovered over the 'call' button on his phone. The single word 'Doctor' appeared on the screen.

He looked over at Ianto, sitting next to him on the sofa in their living room, and looking just as nervous as he felt.

They had discussion this option at length; had decided that it was a good idea to at least try, but still, now that the moment for action was upon them, both were being assailed by more doubts.

It wasn't a sensation Jack was particularly used to. Once he'd decided upon a plan of action, it was very rare that he had any compunction in carrying it out.

The difference was that this time, it was personal. Very personal. And there was a more than fair chance that the Doctor would take issue with some part of their request.

Despite seeing him several times over the past two years, Jack and Ianto hadn't broken the news to the Doctor that they were trying to get pregnant. It had taken them nearly a year even to tell the rest of their team.

Once the team had gotten over the revelation that Jack _could_, theoretically, get pregnant, they had been utterly supportive. They rarely brought it up, at the couple's request, but whenever the topic did arise they were encouraging.

The Doctor, they worried, might not be quite so behind the idea.

"I know mobile technology has advanced a lot in the last few years, but I don't think staring at it is actually going to work."

Jack smiled thinly at Ianto's attempt to lighten the tension. Ianto's hand slid over to rest on Jack's thigh. "We can do this Jack, we can. Remember, the worst he can really say is no, right?"

Jack nodded resolutely. "Right."

He took a deep breath and, placing a hand over Ianto's on his thigh, pressed the call button.

For a long minute, it simply rang out.

_Brrr…brrr……brrr…brrr…_

"Come on, Doctor, pick up," Jack murmured, his fingers tightening around Ianto's.

Jack was almost ready to give up, try again a little later, when there was a click and the Doctor's voice came over the line.

"Jack! Brilliant to hear from you! What's up?"

"Hey!" Jack said, trying his best to sound like his normal self.

The Doctor wasn't fooled for a second. "What's wrong, Jack? Is there something you need help with, should I…?"

"Nothing!" Jack interrupted. "There's nothing wrong… well, not really _wrong_, anyway. There _is_ something I, well, we, need help with, but it's not an invasion or anything, so don't worry, it's more…"

The Doctor cut him off. "Jack. What is it?"

Ianto's fingers flexed under his own, and Jack looked over at his partner to see him gesturing at the phone. Getting the hint, Jack put the phone down on their coffee table and hit the button to put it onto speakerphone

"Doctor," Ianto began, managing to sound much more calm and collected than Jack had, "what Jack is trying to say is that we, Jack and I, that is, have a personal favour to ask from you."

"Oh yes?" The Doctor sounded intrigued.

Jack and Ianto entwined their fingers tightly, curling against each other for protection and support from the backlash they half-expected from the Doctor when they explained themselves.

"We need to go somewhere," Jack started, "or more accurately, some _when_."

The Doctor, for once, was silent, waiting for them to continue the story.

Ianto picked it up. "The thing is, for just over two years now, we – well, mostly Jack – have been trying to get pregnant, and…"

"_WHAT?_" Jack and Ianto suspected they might have been able to hear the Doctor's reaction even without the phone connection. "What do you think you're doing? You're in the 21st century! You can't just go around getting pregnant, Jack. Think of the timelines! People in the 21st century just aren't ready for…"

"Doctor!" Ianto's voice cut through the Doctor's outraged ramble before he could really get going. "Just stop, and listen, _please_."

They could hear the Doctor audibly gulping back his words. "Okay, I'm listening, but this had better be good."

"Okay, firstly, we're not _complete_ idiots – we did actually realise that we can't let anyone outside of Torchwood find out about this. Do you think I _want_ Jack to become a laboratory experiment? We did actually think about this before we decided to try."

"And?"

"Once Jack starts showing," Ianto paused for a second, mentally sending out a plea that one day Jack _would_ be pregnant and showing, "and it becomes necessary, he would stay either at home or in the Hub during daylight, moving between the two under cover of darkness. And we still have his perception filter too, in case of emergency."

"What about…"

"The birth itself would happen at Torchwood, performed by our own medic, and we could manipulate the records to show either a surrogacy arrangement or adoption, so no questions would be asked about how the child came to be ours."

There was a long pause, and Jack and Ianto braced themselves for whatever was to come next. "And Jack's… unique talent? What about that?"

"You'd know better than us if there was any chance of that being passed on, Doctor," Jack said, a little reproachfully. They knew that the Doctor wasn't quite as okay with Jack's immortality as he pretended to be whenever they were around.

"There's really no way for me to say for sure," the Doctor said tentatively. "After the birth, now that's a different matter, but…"

"To be brutally honest, Doctor, it really isn't a factor in this for us. We would love him or her just the same, whether they inherit Jack's immortality or not." Ianto's voice was firm, allowing for no more quibbling on the matter from the Doctor.

"You're missing the point in all this," Jack interjected. "We've been trying for _two years_, Doctor." His voice cracked a little at the end.

The Doctor didn't need any more words to understand what it was they were asking of him. "You want me to take you somewhere far enough into the future that they can help?"

"We just want to go far enough that we can get him checked out, see if there's anything really wrong." There was more than a hint of entreaty in Ianto's voice. "I got myself tested here, now, but for obvious reasons Jack can't do the same."

"I see, of course."

"So, can you do it? _Will_ you do it? As a favour to us?" Jack's tone skipped right past asking and went straight to begging.

"Well, there are some human male pregnancies beginning to occur naturally as early as the 34th century. They're still pretty rare though… now if we went to the mid-41st century, they're as common as dirt, what with the population boom and all. Well, I say as common as dirt, but dirt isn't really so common at that point, they were all very obsessed with being clean, and…"

"Doctor!" Jack and Ianto's voices sounded in unison.

"So you'll do it then?" Jack asked.

"Didn't I just say I would?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Not in so many words, no."

"Oh. Well then, this is me, agreeing to it."

Jack and Ianto couldn't hold back the relieved smiles that blossomed over their faces as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"Thank you, Doctor, I mean it," Jack breathed out. "This means so much to us."

"Yes, well… when do you want to leave, anyway?" The Doctor brushed off their emotional gratitude.

Jack and Ianto shared a look, nodding at the unspoken words in each other's eyes. "We'd have to let the team know, which we can do tomorrow morning, but other than that, as soon as possible really."

"We've waited long enough, Doctor. We don't want to waste any more time than we have to."

"Got it. I'll be there tomorrow afternoon then."

Jack looked over at Ianto, noting he shared his incredulity at the Doctor's apparently confidence that he would land when planned.

"Sure…" they said together. "We'll see you then."

* * *

As they had rather expected, the Doctor missed the following afternoon, but only by a day and a half, landing very late in the evening the day after that.

It had been a long day in the Hub, the Rift alarm sounding unexpectedly just as the team had been packing up in the hopes of leaving for the day.

A few hours later, tired, dirty and sore, and with a new resident in the vaults, Jack and Ianto were just setting the last few alarms to remote when there was a familiar groaning and the TARDIS appeared on the CCTV image of the Plass, right on top of the invisible lift.

Quickly finishing the alarm setting, they took the tourist office exit, and walked round to the Plass hand in hand.

When they got there, the Doctor was leaning against the side of the TARDIS, scratching his head. "I never seem to be able to land here quite when I want to," he grumbled as Jack and Ianto approached him. "I'd swear I told her yesterday afternoon, but, enough about that, I'm here now." He grinned at them widely.

Jack smiled slightly. "To be honest, Doctor, we weren't really expecting you to make it here yesterday afternoon. You don't have the best record of getting places exactly when you intend. We sorted everything out with the team just in case, but this is actually a lot closer than we expected."

"Oi!" the Doctor protested. "I'm not that bad!"

Jack and Ianto just glanced at each other and back to the Doctor.

"Okay, so I'm not perfect, but it's not entirely my fault. The Rift throws everything off around here." The Doctor was getting dangerously close to pouting.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Jack placated. "And as you said, you're here now."

The Doctor perked up. "So, are you ready to go, then?"

Jack looked over at Ianto, who had been yawning discretely for the last half hour, and was clearly dead on his feet. He wouldn't mind a chance to clean up and a few hours of rest himself.

"Actually," he began, "it's been an incredibly long day, and as much as I want to do this as soon as possible, I'd prefer it if we were both properly awake for it." He squeezed Ianto's hand, and received a grateful look in return. "So, could you maybe wait until morning? You can stay here if you want, or you could come back with us to the house…"

The Doctor was nodding. "Oh no, no, that's fine. I can stay here. I'm sure the old girl will be glad of the chance to fuel up too." He patted the side of the TARDIS.

"Right then," Ianto said through a yawn. "We'll be back here, ready to go, bright and early in the morning, but right now…" He yawned again.

Jack nodded at the Doctor, who pushed open the TARDIS door and returned the nod. "Until morning, Captain."

* * *

After a few quick calls to their team-mates to make sure they were all set, in the event that they were gone longer than planned, Jack and Ianto were ready to go early the next morning.

The actual journey to the 41st century was uneventful – or at least as uneventful as a journey in the TARDIS could be. Jack and Ianto had travelled with the Doctor for a few weeks shortly after their partnership ceremony, and the trips between successive disasters had never been quite so smooth.

They came to a halt without even a bump. "Right," the Doctor announced, "it should be 4062 out there. Mid-June, if I got the co-ordinates right. The middle of one of the biggest baby booms in a millennia – you should fit right in."

Jack and Ianto stood on the ramp down to the TARDIS doors, hands clasped.

"Ready to do this?" Ianto asked his partner.

Jack nodded. "You?"

"Absolutely."

Opening the doors, they stepped out into the sunshine, followed by the Doctor.

Before they could walk off, the Doctor turned and called to them. "Oh, Ianto, you still have that same mobile, right?"

Ianto nodded, waiting for the explanation as to why this was important.

"I'm going to have a wander around the market, there's this little stall somewhere around here that sells the most wonderful…"

"Doctor, the phone?" Ianto interrupted.

"Oh, yes – just give me a call when you're ready to leave. I remembered it this time." He pulled the now tired-looking phone from an inside pocket of his coat triumphantly.

With a grin, he turned and disappeared off.

Jack and Ianto turned towards each other as Jack accessed local information from his wrist strap. "Right, medical centre is… that way." Jack indicated a direction with his head, tightening his grip on Ianto's hand before he turned to walk in the direction.

It was a fairly short walk, and from the traffic and people's activities around them as they walked, they surmised that it was still fairly early in the morning.

The medical centre, when they reached it, was a large building that, much like the clinic Ianto had visited in the 21st century, was trying hard to be bright and welcoming but still had that distinct 'medical' feel.

They paused in front of it, just out of range for the sensor on the automatic doors at its entry. Ianto brought his hands together, clasping Jack's between them. He lifted an eyebrow in question when Jack turned to face him.

Take a deep breath, Jack nodded, and turning as one, they walked through the doors.

Inside, Ianto mused once more on how little things had really changed in the 2000 years since his home time. At once side of the open space they entered was a low desk, with what could only be described as a receptionist behind it, even if she _was_ blue. And had four arms. One corner of the space was given over as a waiting area, with gatherings of comfortable-looking chairs.

As they made their way over to the reception desk, the receptionist turned to smile at them, one pair of arms reaching out to hit a button bringing up a holographic screen.

"Good morning. Do you have an appointment?" she asked pleasantly when they got within a few feet of the counter.

Jack shook his head. "No, but I'd, _we'd_ like to make one."

"Right, that's fine," she told them, the cheery smile never leaving her face. "Are you registered?"

"Ah… no." Jack glanced at Ianto as he wondered what story to give her. Before he could come up with one, Ianto had taken over.

"We're only in the area temporarily, but we really do need to see a specialist as soon as we can. Today, if possible." He flashed her the pleasantly unassuming smile that so often assisted him when concocting cover stories back at home.

Whether it was the smile or the story itself, she didn't seem to have any questions about this explanation. "Of course, sirs. I can register you as temporary residents. Which of you is the patient?"

Jack lifted his free hand. "That would be me."

"Name?"

"Harkness. Jack Harkness." A thought flashed through his mind, and he took a moment to hope that if he was still around the planet in this time period, he was either living some distance away or was using a different name by now. Or, at least, that he hadn't registered with the medical services.

He breathed a tiny sigh of relief when the name didn't appear to spark any suspicion when she entered it into the computer system.

"And how can we contact you?"

Jack could see Ianto curse under his breath – he hadn't thought of that. Wracking his brain, he tried to remember the history he'd learned, first as a child and then in the time agency. He was fairly sure that early versions of many of the features in his wrist strap – the communications device included – had been around since the 38th century, so he decided to risk it.

"We don't have a local contact sorted out yet, but I can be contacted through this." He flashed the wrist strap, being careful not to let her get too close a look. When she nodded expectantly, he rattled off a string of numbers and letters, surprising himself – and Ianto, from the look on his face – at how naturally the contact code came back to him even after so long.

Thankfully, the receptionist didn't seem fazed by the mode of communication or the accompanying code, so Jack knew he must have remembered correctly.

The string of digits safely entered onto her system, the receptionist turned back to them, still smiling.

"And which department would you like to make an appointment in?"

Ianto squeezed Jack's hand supportively. "Fertility and Family Planning."

They could see her scrolling through a few screens on the holographic display before she turned back to them, her smile even wider than before. "You're in luck. There's an appointment available with Dr. Elanu this afternoon. She's very nice. If you would prefer a male doctor, however, there's a space tomorrow morning at…"

"That's okay," Jack interrupted, quickly confirming with Ianto through a glance. "Dr Elanu sounds lovely, we'll take it."

Touching something else on her screen, the receptionist produced a small card that reminded Ianto of a hotel key card. "Right, that's booked for you. Here's your reminder card, and I'll see you this afternoon."

Ianto took the card, and thanking her, they left the centre.

Once they were a few metres away from the doors, Ianto stopped to examine the card. "Okay, I must be missing something. I'm not sure exactly how this will remind us of the appointment when it has nothing written on it."

Jack took it, turning it over in his hands a few times. "I saw something like this before, years and years ago." His eyes lifted to Ianto's. "Back when I was still in the Time Agency. If I'm right, there will be several messages triggered which will project from this card at certain intervals before the appointment. A bit like 21st century sat nav, really… only for doctor's appointments."

Ianto plucked the small device back from between Jack's fingers. "It's a good idea," he smiled as he looked it over once more. "Although I'm sure some people find them just as _annoying_ as sat navs can be."

Jack just grinned.

"Anyway," Ianto continued, "the appointment isn't for hours yet, so I'll just put this somewhere safe and…"

Jack protested as Ianto pocketed it.

"Oi! What do you mean 'somewhere safe'? Technically it's _my_ appointment, shouldn't I get the card?"

"'Somewhere safe' as in somewhere it won't get _lost_," Ianto intoned. "Which by definition means 'not giving it to Jack'."

Jack started to pout before realising that Ianto knew him too well; it probably _was_ safer to let Ianto look after the thing.

"Okay then, so… we have a few hours. Wanna explore the market?" Jack wiggled his fingers invitingly.

* * *

Several hours, a lot of wandering and four increasingly irritating reminders from the appointment card later, and Jack and Ianto were back at the medical centre. They'd been waved to the small foyer waiting area by the receptionist, and Ianto was mentally comparing it to his own time in the waiting room of the clinic back in the 21st century. Then, he'd been one of the few people there alone, forced to watch couples, like he was with Jack now, talk quietly and calm each other as they waited.

Just a few minutes later, they were called through to see the doctor.

Dr. Elanu was a cheery woman who looked to be in her early thirties. Her hair and eyes were peculiars shade of blue and purple respectively, betraying her not-entirely-human ancestry.

After the introductions had taken place, and Dr. Elanu had given them a brief outline of her experience in the area, they didn't waste any more time in getting down to the issue.

"… with no luck. Ianto has already been tested, and that came back okay, so now it's my turn," Jack finished.

Dr. Elanu had smiled sympathetically at the appropriate points in the story, taking copious notes on what Ianto hesitated to identify as a tablet computer.

"Right, I think the best thing to do would be to just give you a complete complement of fertility testing – that means a few blood tests and I'll give you a scan too," the doctor told them, scribbling down a few last notes.

Ianto squeezed Jack's hand, and Jack nodded his agreement.

Standing up, she led them to what could only be, in any century, the treatment area. It had an instrument trolley, a few pieces of fancy equipment on the walls, and the piece that really gave it away; a sterile white bed.

Jack hopped up onto the edge of it, shedding his ever-customary greatcoat.

Dr. Elanu rummaged through a drawer of the trolley for a few moments, pulling out a vacuum-packed package.

Indicating for Jack to roll up his sleeve, she broke into the package, pulling out a small sealed vial.

"Right, this might pinch for a moment," she warned as she placed the top of the vial against the inside of Jack's forearm. Ianto could see Jack flinch ever so slightly as she clicked a button on the top of the vial and it filled with dark red blood.

When she pulled it away, Ianto was surprised to see that there was already a small sticky bandage in its place, covering the tiny wound where it had extracted the blood sample.

The doctor turned away to scan the vial into her system and send it through to the testing equipment. Ianto inched a little closer to Jack, who was still looking somewhat put out.

"What is it?" he murmured softly.

"Two millennia later – actually, even three millennia where I grew up – and they still haven't found a way to take a blood sample without poking you with a bloody needle, even if it _is_ more automated now," Jack grumbled under his breath.

Ianto smiled indulgently at his partner; could deal with bullets and trauma with sharp instruments with barely a complaint, but whined whenever he was confronted with an itty-bitty needle.

The vial dealt with, Dr. Elanu returned to the side of the bed and pulled out one of the myriad pieces of equipment lining the wall.

"Right, if you could just lie back for me Mr. Harkness and we'll get the scan under way," she said, flipping switches and bringing up a holographic screen much like that in the reception area.

Slowly, she ran the piece of equipment, a scanner of some sort, Ianto inferred, over Jack's abdomen. A picture started to appear on her screen, along with reams of data that Ianto didn't understand or recognise.

The scan didn't take that long, and once the machine was returned to the wall and the scan data saved, the three of them returned to the consultation area of the doctor's office.

"The testing will probably be complete sometime between 60 and 90 minutes from now," Dr. Elanu was telling them as Jack finished sorting out his clothing. "I'd like you to make another appointment for us to discuss the results, either late this afternoon or tomorrow. Depending on what the test results show, we can discuss your options then."

Ianto gulped slightly at the word 'options', but logically he knew it could be a good thing – if they went back to the 21st century they knew they still theoretically had the options of adoption or surrogacy, but they had discussed them before and they really wanted to give this everything they had before they resorted to either of those options.

Here in the 41st century he knew they would, in all probability, have many more options available that could help them achieve their dream.

Less than fifteen minutes later, a new appointment card in hand for the last slot of the day, they were headed back out into the fresh air.

* * *

Their second stint in the waiting area was even more tense than the first. As it was approaching the end of the working day in the medical centre, there was only one other person waiting with them, who looked just as nervous as they were.

Neither of them was quite sure whether the dominant emotion was anticipation or dread.

When they were called through to Dr. Elanu's office, they kept their fingers tightly intertwined, sending each other what comfort they could through the familiar grip.

Their nerves weren't calmed at all by the sombre look on the doctor's previously cheerful face.

"It's not good news, is it?" Jack asked, his tone defeated, as he sank into the chair he'd occupied before.

"Well," the doctor began, "there's good news and bad news, really, I'm afraid."

"What's the good news?" Ianto asked, both hands now wrapped around Jack's.

"From the scans and the results of the blood tests, there seems to be absolutely no reason why you shouldn't carry a pregnancy to full term with no issues," she replied. "Obviously there are the same risks as are associated with any pregnancy, but the relevant organs appear to be in good working order."

While all of this sounded very good, Jack and Ianto were both very aware that she had mentioned bad news too, and if there had been _nothing_ wrong they were convinced they would have conceived by now.

"So what's the bad news, then?"  
"So why haven't I been able to get pregnant?"

They spoke at the same time.

Dr. Elanu took a deep breath before answering their question. "There _have_ been some changes in your physiology. More specifically, the passageway allowing the sperm to travel to meet the egg has become blocked or has closed up."

"So if the sperm and egg met and implanted themselves in Jack, he should be able to carry the baby to term, but they haven't been able to meet?" Ianto clarified.

"Exactly," she nodded.

"Is there… is there any reason why this might have happened?" Jack asked, and Ianto knew he was wondering if it could be the result of his immortality, or of one of his many deaths.

"It's unlikely we'll be able to say for sure," the doctor replied, shaking her head slightly. "It's a very rare condition, so we haven't been able to pin down many specific events that can directly lead to this occurring. Unless…"

She looked between Jack and Ianto contemplatively, questions clearly whizzing through her mind.

"Unless?"

"Well, this might sound like a slightly odd question, but… have you spent any significant time in a time period before the 26th century?"

Jack and Ianto looked at each other.

Jack raised his eyebrows in a clear question. _Do we tell her?_

Ianto hesitated for just a moment, biting into his bottom lip ever so slightly, and then nodded almost imperceptibly. _Yes_.

"Actually, doctor… strictly speaking… we've lived in the 21st century for a long time now," Jack tendered. "We came back forward," – he decided not to reveal for the moment that Ianto technically belonged in the 21st century – "specifically to seek medical help with this."

Dr. Elanu was nodding thoughtfully. "That could be a significant factor, then. There have been several reports of men posted to those early eras having significant troubles conceiving on their return. Many of those men who have gone for testing have showed the same physiological changes as we're seeing here. No one has yet been able to pin down anything specific about _why_ it happens, or why the effects don't appear for any period after the early 27th century, but it's been documented in several areas, and on some of the new colonies too."

"So, we don't really have a chance of conceiving then?" Jack asked dejectedly.

"Naturally, I'd say the chances are very small, yes."

"What are our options then, doctor?" Ianto queried.

"Well, obviously there are the long-standing traditional options of adoption or surrogacy," the doctor started. "But given that you've been trying for over two years, I'm assuming you've probably discussed those options before and would prefer, if possible, to continue with a pregnancy for Jack."

Jack and Ianto nodded.

"In that case, there is the possibility of in-vitro fertilisation. As I've said, Jack is in a good position to carry a pregnancy to term, so if we get a successful implantation, the odds are good."

Jack and Ianto shared another look. Silently agreeing to at least consider this option, they looked back to Dr. Elanu.

"If we went ahead with IVF…" Ianto started a little tentatively, "what would that actually involve?"

The doctor smiled reassuringly. "Well, first of all Jack would go on a 4-day long series of hormone treatments, to stimulate production of ova. Those would then be harvested – considering the changes to Jack's physiology, this would probably be done via a combination of the usual method and minor keyhole surgery."

She paused to make sure they were still following her. "We would then fertilise those in a sterile environment with a sample from you, Mr Jones, and after another two to three days, one or two viable blastocysts would be reintroduced to Jack's body, and would hopefully become implanted and become a successful pregnancy."

"One _or_ two?" Jack's brow furrowed.

"The rate of successful implantation isn't 100%, so transferring two increases the odds of at least one success. It also, of course, carries the risk of twins. There is still a tiny chance of monozygotic twins developing from a single transfer, but it really is quite small."

"What _is_ the success rate?" Ianto wanted to know.

"There have been significant advances in the last decade," Dr. Elanu answered, "increasing the success rate in females to almost 90% and in males to just over 65%."

Ianto nodded thoughtfully.

Knowing that the two men would need to discuss this thoroughly before they made a decision, Dr. Elanu stood up. "I can get you an information chip about it, if you would like. It should answer any further questions you might have."

"Of course. Thanks," Jack said absently, getting to his own feet and dragging Ianto up with him. "We'll let you know what we decide."

They were back on the street for the third time a short time later, information chip in hand and thoughts racing through their heads.

"We should probably call the Doctor," Ianto said suddenly after they had walked hand-in-hand, in silence, for about five minutes, not really paying attention to their surroundings.

"Yeah." Jack brought them to a stop at the side of a small street with only a few stalls lingering from the market. Ianto pulled out his phone to make the call, and forty minutes later they met the Doctor in front of the TARDIS.

On the walk back, they had discussed the possibility of trying IVF. They knew that, in addition to all the issues that might arise from the actual treatment, they would also have to make arrangements to stay here for another week at least if they went forward with it.

However, after forty solid minutes of consideration, and a few references to the information chip they had been given, they had decided that, assuming they could arrange things with the Doctor, they were going to try it. It was their only real chance of Jack getting pregnant, and they couldn't pass up that opportunity.

"So, did it go well?" the Doctor asked as he approached them.

"It could have gone better," Ianto told him. "But we do have an option still available to us." He caught the Doctor's look. "IVF," he clarified.

"Ahhh."

"It would mean us staying here for another week or so," he continued. "From the local information available, finding accommodation wouldn't be too difficult, but," he indicated the TARDIS with a tilt of his head, "I imagine you might want to be off sooner than that."

The Doctor couldn't deny it. "I could come back for you in a week though!" He waved at Ianto's pocket. "You've got the phone; you could just call me to pick you up."

Ianto looked at Jack questioningly. Jack blew out a breath and nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Doctor."

* * *

Furnished, thanks to the TARDIS, with a reasonable supply of the local currency, finding temporary accommodation proved easy, just as Ianto had predicted. The tiny flat, designed for short to mid-length stays, was a little cramped but more comfortable than a hotel suite (although lacking in the creature comforts of a hotel, like room service).

They managed to get another appointment with Dr. Elanu first thing in the morning two days after their first arrival.

After another extended discussion about exactly what they could look forward to in the next week, the doctor produced a small kit. From this she pulled out a tiny vial, similar to the one that had been used to collect blood from Jack in their initial visit, only smaller and full of a light yellow liquid.

"Right, so this is what you'll need for the hormone treatment course. I'll do the first one now, but they're pretty simple."

At her gesture, Jack shed his coat and pulled up his shirts to reveal a patch of bare skin above his hip. Holding the tip of the vial against his skin, she pushed a plunger on the other end and the yellow liquid disappeared. Ianto noticed that Jack, once again, flinched slightly, and realised that he had this to look forward to many more times over the next few days.

"So there are… eleven more of those?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, two more today, and then three daily for the next three days." Ianto mentally did a little sarcastic whoop, knowing as he did that he was going to be the one administering the doses and putting up with Jack's whining about the inability of the medical profession to develop needle-less technology.

Closing the kit again and handing it to Ianto, Dr. Elanu bid them farewell. "I'll see you back here in four days for the harvest." She nodded at Ianto. "And your sample, of course."

Ianto sighed again. It looked like he was going to have to produce a sample in one of those little rooms after all. The only advantage here was that this time, Jack could be there to 'lend a hand' if necessary.

"Four days."

* * *

Ianto steeled himself before he opened the door to the tiny living room in their temporary home. It was the third day of Jack's course of hormone shots, and in the last day and a half their side effects had started to become evident. Jack's moods had been swinging wildly all over the shop, and Ianto couldn't quite be sure whether he'd walk in and be yelled at, groped, ignored, cried on or smothered in affectionate kisses.

Shifting the tray holding his coffee, Jack's decaf and a plate of biscuits to one hand, he pushed the door open. Jack was slouched in the sofa, watching something on what Ianto had quickly realised was just a futuristic television set.

Jack looked up at the sound of the door opening. "Hey," he greeted, smiling softly and pointing at the screen. "They still used to show repeats of this when I was a kid. I never realised it was quite as old as this."

Ianto joined him on the sofa, and put the tray down on the table in front of them. Picking up his coffee and taking an appreciative sip, he passed Jack his mug. When he'd first switched Jack to decaf, he'd thrown up a bit of a fuss, but after a few weeks he'd stopped whining and resigned himself to a caffeine-free existence.

He was just beginning to relax in the thought that Jack seemed to be in a fairly even mood for once when there was a small whine from beside him.

"What is it, Jack?" he asked patiently.

Jack pointed at the plate of biscuits. "What happened to the little chocolaty ones with the sprinkles? I liked those." His voice had grown progressively higher and more chocked as the sentence went on.

"Yes, I know you did," he soothed. "Which is exactly why we've run out of them."

Tears appeared in Jack's eyes and he started to sniffle. "We're out of sprinkle biscuits?"

Ianto nodded.

A few tears leaked from the corners of Jack's bright eyes. "R-really and truly? There… there aren't any more… in…in… in the back of the cupboard?"

"No more."

Jack's face fell further. "Y-y-you checked?"

"Yes, I checked." Ianto pulled a now openly weeping Jack into his arms, feeling the tears begin to soak through the thin material of his T-shirt.

He let him sob for a few minutes before pulling back enough to look him in the face. "I can run out and buy some more now, if you really want."

Jack sniffled, visibly trying to contain himself. "No… no… you don't have to do that. I'll… I'll be okay. I'll just have… my coffee. And one of the ginger biscuits."

He didn't let go of Ianto for quite a while after that, gripping him tighter every time Ianto made to get up and leave. He still looked a little sniffly when he finally pulled back and picked up his cooling cup of coffee and a ginger biscuit.

Ianto made a note to run out and get more of the chocolaty sprinkle biscuits at the first opportunity. He didn't want a repeat of this upset if he could help it.

As he walked down the aisles of the local shop later that evening, he caught himself looking forward to the end of the hormone treatment, and the reappearance of a calmer Jack, and then he realised. If this went well, Jack was going to be _pregnant_. Everything he'd read in both the 21st and 41st centuries agreed: pregnancy was one long rollercoaster of hormones.

Looking around at the shelves, he made himself another note for when they got home.

_Stock up on enough of all Jack's favourite foods to last a full pregnancy_.

* * *

Ianto pulled the door closed behind them, his sample safely deposited in the system. While he'd initially been just as uncomfortable as he had been in the fertility clinic back home in the 21st century, Jack had been on hand with a blindfold and whispered fantasies that could overcome even the awkward feeling that had pervaded Ianto.

One sample down, it was now Jack's turn.

They'd done a detailed scan early that morning to check that the hormone treatment had had the desired effect, and the minor surgery required for the harvest was scheduled in just over an hour.

Then the two samples would be mixed and the eggs fertilised.

And after that, it was a matter of waiting.

* * *

Jack and Ianto waited impatiently where they had landed nine days ago for the TARDIS to appear.

The final procedures for the IVF treatment had taken place the previous day, when they had chosen to take their chances and have just a single embryo transferred back into Jack's body. Although they had considered staying until they knew for certain whether it had worked or not, the urge to _go home_ was stronger.

In their two years of unsuccessful trying, they'd developed rather a tradition around the taking of the test, and they were both anxious for the positive test, when it finally came, to be taken in keeping with their little ritual.

They'd been lounging around on a nearby grassy knoll for nearly an hour when the familiar sound of the TARDIS engines roused them from the semi-daze they'd been in. Seconds later, the door swung open and the Doctor bounded out and over to them.

"Taxi for Jones?" he grinned, offering Ianto a hand up. Ianto, in turn, pulled Jack to his feet, and they walked more slowly back to the TARDIS.

"So?" the Doctor asked excitedly, evidently keen for any news.

"We won't know for another 7 to 10 days, when we can test," Ianto told him as the doors shut behind them. "But I promise you, you'll be among the first to know."

* * *

If three minutes had seemed an eternity before, it still couldn't compare with how long the agonising wait seemed this time.

Ianto watched the seconds tick by on his stopwatch, convinced that time was actually slowing down as the three-minute mark approached.

Jack, usually the picture of outward calm during these waits, was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, unable to stand still.

"Twenty seconds left," Ianto announced, his voice shaky. "Ten."

Breaking with tradition, Ianto stood and pressed himself against Jack's back, peering over his shoulder at the test in his hand.

Three minutes up, they looked together at the indicator window.

Ianto felt his knees give out under him, and he gripped Jack's upper arms to stay upright. A few long moments later, he sank to the floor anyway as Jack's own shaky legs failed to support them.

Slumped against their bathroom wall, they couldn't help but stare at the test window, still gripped tight in Jack's hand.

For two years they'd grown used to the single red line that would appear to indicate a negative result; always willing that second line to appear.

And now…

There, clear as day in the window, were two strong red lines.

* * *

Jack was resting on the bed, his three day old daughter sleeping on his chest, when the ever-more familiar sound of the TARDIS materialising could be heard from the back garden.

Before Jack could move, Ianto scurried out of the kitchen, where he'd been sterilising bottles. A few minutes later, he could hear the Doctor and Ianto's hushed voices as they talked quietly while they came in the back door.

"… don't want to wake her up if we can help it," Ianto was murmuring as he pushed the bedroom door open.

Jack smiled at his partner, who looked as tired as he felt these days. He'd started actually needing to sleep quite a lot late in his pregnancy, and his body hadn't quite bounced back yet – indeed, he didn't know for sure if it ever would.

"Hey," he whispered, even more softly as Ianto and the Doctor came fully into the room.

Despite his exhaustion, Ianto's eyes lit up with adoration as they came to rest on his tiny daughter.

It hadn't been the easiest of pregnancies, even aside from its complicated beginning and the necessity of hiding it, but for Jack and Ianto, it was all worth it the moment they set eyes on the precious little girl three days previously.

They'd been shuffled off home the day after the delivery, with the stern instruction from the rest of the team not to even _think_ about coming in for at least a week. Jack had protested, but considering how much work caring for a newborn had turned out to be, he was pleased they just had this time to spend bonding with her.

Not that they were alone for much of it. They'd had a steady stream of visits from their colleagues; they had almost considered actually kicking Gwen out yesterday – she'd spent almost more time at their house cooing over the baby than she had spent at home and the Hub put together.

They'd called the Doctor shortly after the birth, inviting him to visit, and now he was here. His eyes were wide as he stared at the tiny form sleeping peacefully on Jack's chest.

Ianto came to sit next to Jack on the bed, and they both looked up at the Doctor.

"Doctor," Jack said quietly. "We'd like you to meet our daughter, Tasha May Harkness-Jones."

_fin_


End file.
